


Prisoner of Hades

by AudreyG



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 21:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6488059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AudreyG/pseuds/AudreyG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Hades kept messing with his mind. Instead of getting to the point, Shun is mercilessly used as entertainment for the king. Or is he merely using him to gain something? And what about the voice in his head? What part does he play in? Or was the voice him, urging him to kill the god of the underworld? Shun didn't know. He only knew that he was going insane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prisoner of Hades

**Chapter One**

Shun suppressed a shudder from the many sounds around him; coming through the thin walls; through the cracks where he saw a figure arch his back, a piece of fabric shoved in his mouth; and throughout the hallway where the rest of his companions were. He lowered his head, staring at the stones below his naked feet, his dried up blood mocking him from where he laid. Unlike him, his blood flowed carelessly around, if not in the same place. There would be more added if the shuffle of feet coming behind his cell door was any sign.

Shun moved his wrist; the leather burned against his skin as the chains rattled to his constant movement. He moved his feet, just to feel the leather rub harshly against his ankles. With hope long gone, he went slack, tucking his chin close to his chest. His green tresses grew more than he would like during his time in prison. It rested past his shoulders, near the middle of his back. No doubt from the filth he bathed in his hair lost its luster. But at the moment he didn't care of the stench he possibly bore; no, his hair concealed his face to the incoming torture was something he adored.

If only for a moment…

When the door to his cellar creak opened, the sound reverberating down the halls, announcing to everyone his turn had come, Shun hissed. Not at the men that entered the room with whips coiled around their hips. He hissed, through clench teeth, when his hair betrayed him (not that it could betray him) as his captor pulled his head back, looking deep into his green eyes.

Staring at him, with an ageless face, skin pale, even under the torchlight, was the God of the Underworld. For the first time, he came to see him, not that it was an honor. He knew eventually Hades will come to visit him.

Shun dare not look away, even when blood dripped past his vision, coming from a reopened wound. His captors jeered at his immobility. Shun paid little attention to them. Another scream manifested through his room, breaking away his concentration. He looked to a side and caught sight of a red glow, while the stench of burnt skin teased his nose.

Hades grabbed his chin and stared into his frighten eyes. The men chuckled at the expression he made but he held no fear toward the occupants in his room. Rather he was afraid if his comrade still lived. But with a hacking cough, he heard him gasp for breath, as the immortality in his blood reawakened him the sixth time throughout the day.

Sadness crept in his eyes. For a moment, Shun believed that his friend had found peace; instead he awoke once more to face the torture again.

Hades smirked, aware of the screams coming from the next wall.

"It's painful isn't it? Hearing them, through and through, never being able do anything. Or maybe you tried,"—his cold fingers danced across his sweaty arm to his wrist—"but the chain was holding you back."

"What's your point of stating the obvious other than to gloat?"

"To remind you," Hades said, pulling down his hair to jut his chin out, "how you didn't protect each other."

The kill was swift. Shun barely sensed the sword jabbed into his lower intestine, until the blood bubbled out of his mouth, spewing across Hades's face. He pulled out the sword; more blood escaped through his mouth, dripping down his chin, down his ruin clothing, and to the ground.

Shun dangled from his restraints, the pain numbing his senses.

Faintly he saw the king's boots cross his line of vision, gleaming ominously under the torchlight. His red cape swayed as he moved forward and backward and on occasionally to a side. He was addressing his servants; his speech drifting in between his barely conscious state.

Shun then gasped for air. He threw his head back, arched his spine, and took in a breath, smelling smoke at once. Exhausted, he laid limp. He took notice of his wound. It had healed, leaving behind dried blood, a reminder that the dead refused him.

Across from him, sitting on a chair, with a short, oval table near a side, Hades sat, drinking from his wine cup. The room seemed brighter. The torch lights replaced with many candles hung from the ceiling, off the wall, and laid on the floor, away from his throne.

With a little effort, Shun noticed the god in a clear light. Impassive, detached, and not bothered by the heat that engulfed the room, Hades looked pristine in all-black clothing. Not a trace of sweat rolled down his pale complexion. Shun felt bothered at how different he was (after all he was a god) as sweat beaded down his spine and dampened his hair to his skin. He would not show Hades his discomfort but the god smiled, already knowing what had him unease.

"This brings back memories." He set his cup aside. "I once had a prisoner, a stubborn, little fool, like you, but his intent was not to kill me." He rose from his seat, dangling in his hand the hilt of his blade. "You see he was after my wife, my beautiful, Persephone, which angered me. I had to teach him a lesson. It was my job. Too bad that lesson sentenced him an eternity in Tartarus."

Shun took in his scent when he drew close to him. Pomegranates, an unusual smell, but it belonged to him.

"But I don't blame him. No. I too fell in love with her physical beauty."

Condescendingly, he met his eye. "Still how dare he try to take what is mine."

The second stab left Shun unprepared. His death was quick, painless, and he succumbed to the darkness instantly. Soon he awoke, in the same room, aside that he had a perfect view of his comrades being whipped and marked like cattle.

"Ah, you're awake," Hades said. "My apologies. Sometimes my anger overclouds my actions. You understand. You felt the same way toward June."

With an empty apology, Hades took a sip of his wine, releasing the name of his partner in an offhand way. The exhaustion faded from Shun's body at once. He was alert, desperate to learn more about June.

"How do you know her?" he said voice raw as if unused.

"Boy, I was in you. Let's put aside the sexual note and focus on what that means." He stood up, briskly moving his wrist side to side, as if swatting away the implication. "My soul lived with yours. I read your every thought, sensed your emotions, for fuck sake's, I was you for a moment."

Within reach, Hades touched his cheek with his index finger, gliding it down toward the curve of his lips. "Sometimes I wonder if I chose a dimwitted fool as my vessel."

Shun met his empty eyes.

"You've grown quiet, boy."

He swallowed the saliva in his mouth down his dry throat. For once he realized how parched he was. He mumbled under his breath, angering the god of his low speech.

"I couldn't hear you, boy. Speak up. The prisoners are vocal today."

Hades yanked his hair. He yelped, and gritted his teeth, annoyed at the mistreatment he received.

"I won't give up hope. You'll see. The others—"

"Others? You mean those ridiculous Saints, your so-called comrades, will save the day? You forget who won."

"I won't give up."

Hades released him. "Now you're repeating yourself." He turned on his heel, sat on his chair, and crossed a leg, hands placed on his knee. "Trust me, Shun. You would be pleased to have me as your master."

"Never."

Shun assumed the god had rolled his eyes when he said, "Geez, boy, I'm not saying now. Ponder on the idea. Weigh the pros and cons before you come to your decision."

He moved his wrists; the chains rattled. "No, I will never join your side."

Hades uncrossed his leg and grabbed his sword, laying it on his lap. It was a threat, but Shun was not afraid. "You Saints on your loyalty. Must I remind you that she is dead? Gone? Deceased? Wake up to reality, boy."

"No, I won't."

"You like repeating yourself, don't you?" Hades stood, his sword gleaming under the ominous shade of the orange-reddish hue coming from the candles. He approached him, steadily, tauntingly. "Very well. I won't force you to leave her side." He stood in front of him; his eyes gleefully taking in his bloody state; and a thought crossed Shun's mind. "Just don't regret your decision."

Hades will try to break his spirit.

**Chapter Two**

Shun could not remember how he fell asleep or when it happened. But when he awoke he found that he was no longer in the cellar, neither was he chained to the wall. He was free, resting on solid ground, feeling the grass against his rough hands. The tree he was lying underneath provided a comforting shade, the sunlight creating patterns in the grass.

He sat up and looked around.

Flowers, greenery, which covered the land as far as he could see, were everywhere, along with the plentiful trees. But far in the east he saw a dark area, depressing, isolated, with a cloud of gray smoke rising in the air. Shun knew the telltale signs of a fire.

Quick on his feet, he stood, and at once he felt his exhaustion impact him. He fell to the ground and pushed himself to rise again. This time, he noticed, Hades standing to a side, with his hand pressed against the trunk of the tree. He eyed the fire in the distance, a smile present on his face.

"Do you love my world? It's calm, peaceful, well aside from that dark area over there." He gestured toward the fire in the distance, contrasting against the lively greenery with its dark clouds and rising smoke.

Shun held his stomach, the pain of where the sword stabbed him bothered him. Back hunched, eyes toward the ground, he felt the vile sensation of vomit creeping up his throat, ready to burst out of his mouth. But it never happened; it stayed as a feeling.

Then he heard him. Voice faint, sounding far away, he whispered in his ear, "You can overtake him."

Shun glanced over his shoulder. No one was behind him. He only acknowledged the voice by saying in his head, "No, I can't."

Hades crossed his view. He walked toward the descending slope, staring afar, and instantly relaxing.

"If only the Saints could appreciate my world," he said. He did not mean what he said; he was boasting. "Pity that they are so stubborn, well, some of them."

Perplexed, Shun asked, "Some?"

He feared his answer.

"Not all Saints are loyal to the end—like you." He pointed at him, his index-finger hovering through the air for a second. He closed the gap between them, squatting to his level. Shun had fallen to the ground when he felt his stomach heave.

"Who?"

He had to know who betrayed them.

Hades gave a short laugh. "You can't possibly ask me the names of the traitors. You should worry about yourself. They don't matter. You'll never cross paths with them."

Shun rose his head. Eyes narrowed, he gritted his teeth, his stomach jumping around violently.

"What do you want?"

Hades tucked a dagger under his chin, as Shun noticed, for once, his black gloves contrasting against his pale skin. "All I want is your attention. Is that too much to ask?"

Confused, Shun said, "I don't see the point in this."

He removed the dagger and gestured his hands to a side, the dagger held loosely in his palm, to show his bafflement. Any second that dagger would fall and land on his left hand. "Should there be a point? All I want is for you to listen. Is that so hard?"

"Whatever it is you're planning, just do it already!" He grew tired of these games.

The dagger returned under his chin; the sharpness of the blade pressed against his neck. He moved it slowly across his throat and stopped when beads of blood ran down the column of his throat.

"Don't speak. Just listen. Surely you can do that."

Even with the threat against his throat, Shun denied his request. "You're wasting your time."

With the flick of his wrist the dagger moved against his throat. Blood slipped down his open shirt, coloring his chest red. He saw, in the sunlight, the dagger shining with his blood. It was then he realized that he was meeting death once again.

"Hopefully, on your next awakening, you will listen…"

His voice threatened him in the darkness but Shun noted the glee the man held for killing him again.

**Chapter Three**

When Shun awoke again he noticed a girl, with blond hair, a round face, carrying an air of innocence with her. She twirled in her peach dress, her hands grabbing the fabric, revealing underneath the white lace. Dizzy, she stopped, and looked across, smiling at his brother, Ikki.

"She's pretty, don't you agree?" Hades spoke, ruining his attention between his brother and the unknown girl reuniting. Shun tried to concentrate on his brother's reaction when Hades took a step forward, his shoe resting against the side of his hand. Quickly Shun sat up and rested on his knees. "You know, she looks like you, only with breasts."

Shun ignored his lewd comment, even when Hades suggested that his brother might have a thing for him.

"I never understood your brother," he added. "He could've joined my side, and well, he would've been with her." He then sighed. "Instead the idiot preferred to find his little brother."

"What do you want from us?"

"Many things, Shun, but mostly your forgiveness."

The girl raced toward his brother, her bare feet sinking in the sand. She opened her arms, tears ran down her cheek. His brother stayed still, despair on his face. It ruined the perfect moment… and Shun understood why. He looked away when the girl stepped through the metal spikes, her screams echoing around him.

Silence followed until it shattered by a scream. It came from his brother; he sounded foreign, strange, unbearable to hear. Shun carried a heavy sadness over his heart.

Hades spoke, unperturbed, "Look at your brother crying over a dead girl." Looking down at him, he added, "She will revive in a moment."

Shun returned his eyes toward the scene. The girl rested on a pile of spikes, her blood colliding with the metal spears. Like the prisoner with immortality in his blood, the girl twitched, her fingers coiling into her palms. With an unknown force, it pulled her from the spikes, the gaps through her skin closing in an instant. She walked back, eyes closed, as magic danced across her skin, cleaning away the blood, even patching the holes in her dress. And where she last stood, she spun around, and then she opened her eyes to start the cycle anew.

"Leave Ikki alone," Shun pleaded.

He saw his brother's face; utter despair ruined his handsome face. Again, he had to witness her die.

"Leave him alone!"

The girl looked across, her face lighting up instantly when she saw Ikki.

Shun would not watch. He stood on his feet and tried to tackle the god but Hades, with a palm up, sent him flying across the room. He landed on the ground, rolling to a stop, but quickly picked himself up.

This time he observed that he was in a dark room. A bright light flashed and overpowered the darkness. He shielded his eyes and swore he heard a battle cry followed by pounding. With his arms to his side, he walked, slowly, carefully, toward the bright light.

In a glass cube, a winged-horse rammed against the glass. It was trying to break free, but the glass was too strong to break. Shun blinked his eyes and instead of seeing the horse it morphed into a man.

"Seiya," he whispered.

He rushed to help his friend but an unknown force pushed him back.

"He doesn't realize that he can never escape," Hades spoke, in a relax tone. He was behind him now, overlooking the perimeter with a critical eye, as if doubting that they were the only ones in the room. No one jumped out of the shadows; no one attacked from his side; still Hades was alert, ready to protect his most precious possession.

Shun rose on his feet, with his fists laid out. A cool liquid dripped down the side of his chin; he knew the ground would be dotted in crimson.

"What a fool." Blue eyes met his. "Just like you." He strode toward him, curling the side of his lip.

Again, a voice spoke in his head, "You can overtake him. Make him see who he defies."

And again Shun responded, "No, I can't."

"You can, child." The voice was insistent, sending a shock wave of pain through his head. He gripped his skull; the tremor splitting his head apart. The deep, baritone voice echoed in his head, screaming, "Kill him! Kill him!" in repetition.

"I said I can't!" Shun shouted; his voice echoing around the room, through the hidden cracks, and through the glass cube. He fell on his knees, holding on to his head, fingers digging through the roots of his hair.

Hades had brandished his sword, twirling the hilt in his hand. With a flourish grace, he arched his weapon to a side; a swift breeze flew past his nose. It sniped at his skin, a slight sting rush through his nerves.

"What can't you do?" Hades asked.

Shun lowered his arms, laying them limp on his thighs. It was official. He was going insane.

"Go to hell," he said.

He wanted his punishment over. Before he blinked the sword came at him in an instant, right between his eyes, on the perch of his nose.

**Chapter Four**

The next time Shun awoke he sat on a hill, overlooking the twilight that covered the surrounding land. Yet it dare not touch where he sat; the grass, the large tree behind him, remained still, as light met darkness in swirls and twirls. The other refused to relent to the other while the other could not dominate the other. It tangled together, struggling for power. In one second it grew dark, in the next it grew bright.

Then it formed in a swirl of one, creating a shape of face. On one side the darkness curled around an eye, down a hollow cheek, to the side of its mouth. The light followed in its steps, outlining the other side of the face. In the twilight a head floated, hovering near the hill, staring down at him with its eyeless expression.

"Child, why do you hold back?"

Shun recognized the baritone voice. It belonged to him, the voice inside his head.

"I lack strength," he answered.

He conversed with the being, his other half, indulging his weakness with irrelevant answers.

The voice spoke back, "Call for me. Call my name."

Shun failed to understand what his other half was saying.

"Why should I call for me? Am I not here? Or is my mind teasing me?"

The voice responded, "I am not you. I am not them. You know who I am."

"No, I don't." He lied on his back and shut his eyes. "Who are you?"

"A strange question to ask," Hades spoke.

Shun opened his eyes; the cracks and screams greeted his sight. He was back in the cellar, chained to the wall. Sitting in a chair, Hades sat, his expression dulled, the candle lights casting a dark shadow on a side of his face.

He set his goblet of wine to a side and interlaced his fingers. "Who were you referring to?"

"I don't understand."

On the table, next to his goblet of wine, four daggers sat. He picked up one, playing it with his fingers. And then tossing it in the air, he grabbed it by hilt and threw the knife next to his ear. It sliced through his cheek, a warning, a presumable threat to his wellbeing.

Small beads of blood slid down his cheek. It stung him a little. His entire focus lay on the dark king. Calm as he could be, Shun slowed his heart rate and met the glare of the other head on.

"Do you hear a voice in your head, Shun?"

He carefully concealed his shock.

Eye on the dagger, Hades stood still, not bothered by his silent response. Even without looking at him, the dark king knew the truth.

"Tell me who," he said. No longer playful, the god became serious.

"…I don't know."

Hades was not pleased with that response. He threw the second dagger; it landed on his upper thigh, piercing through the skin and embedded in. Shun hissed and then took in several breathes.

"Titan? Or God?" he asked.

Shun struggled to understand.

"I don't know!"

The next dagger landed in between his shoulder-blade and neck. The red liquid burst from the wound and cascaded down his bare chest, mingling with the dirt and faded old blood. Shun could not hold back his scream.

"I want his title, Shun. Titan? Or God?"

Shun hesitated to answer.

"He doesn't deserve to know," the voice said.

Whatever deity was in his head, Shun knew, from the seriousness of the dark king in front of him, that he was important. He raised his head and spit out in rage, "Go to hell!"

Hades arched a brow in retaliation. Dagger in hand, he outstretched his arm, hitting Shun straight in the heart.

**Chapter Five**

Shun sucked in a breath, taking a mouthful of air, as if it was his last. He slumped forward in exhaustion, exhaling the air he took in, until he coughed, choking on his saliva. A look around he noticed that the room he was familiar with was different; each wall was barren, the outline of the stones seen, not a crack in sight; the floor empty, bare, not a single footprint left; and to a side, a little above his head, a barred window allowed the light to create patterns on the floor. No sun or moon existed in the underworld but an unfathomable light came from above.

Aside from the new room, and the silence settling in, Shun relaxed in the tranquility given to him. He knew he should be wary, prepared even for the dark king but he shut his eyes, not taking in the danger surrounding him.

Even with the silence, and the peace given to him, he was not alone as he hoped.

"Call my name," the voice bellowed.

His baritone voice rocked against his skull, igniting a headache to bloom.

Shun spoke, "But I have no name to call expect my own."

The voice insisted, "Call me," but he refused to offer a name, let alone explain who he might be. If the voice was not him, and if the voice did not belong to Hades, then who might live in him? Another god? Or was it him, his conscious, speaking to him?

The voice spoke again; no longer repeating two or three words and gave a small speech. "Call me. Heed me. Revive me. Only then I will come. Now call. Only then I will free you. Say my name."

But without a name Shun kept silent.

The voice repeated his speech again, stating each first word with a deep pronunciation. A hint no doubt. His voice repeated the same words in his head, increasing his headache. Shun concentrated on each word until the words formed, shaping out a name. He refused to say it without reason in the end. If the voice didn't offer a name then it had to be a sign.

"Why?"

"Don't ask. Say it," the voice responded impatiently.

Warning signs tickled his skin. It crept along his arm, the tip of his hair standing straight up. His adrenaline picked up, pumping his heart in a fast beat, but he concluded his fear came from the god entering his room. Instantly, he indulged his other half, never believing once that the danger came from within him.

"Chronos."

It wasn't when he said the name he realized his error.

Something, a deep unimaginable force, pulled him apart inside, kicking at his ribs, beating at his heart, until his vocal chords burst. A mysterious power manifested in the room. It formed in a ball of light, twisting clockwise, the tip of the tail outlining the swirl. Breathless, Shun hit the ground, the chains broken. He raised his head and watched as the ball of light slipped through the bars and ascended to the sky.

The exhaustion he felt pushed him to floor. He could not stand even if he tried. But with a hand clamped around his throat, he struggled on his feet, staring straight in the eye of the dark king.

"Satisfied? My father is out."

He imagined him shouting, screaming, even beating him for what he had done; instead he met with a calm tone.

"I can't blame you entirely." The dark king squeezed his throat. Shun struggled to breathe. "I am much to blame."

Desperate for oxygen, Shun scratched at the god, digging his dirty nails into his pale flesh. Hades did not flinch at the red marks appearing on his skin.

"I suppose we will have to suffer with our consequences."

Hades let him go, the oxygen returning to him.

Shun fell and fell down a dark abyss; the ground had disappeared, along with the room. The king faded into small orbs of light and Shun realized he too faded when his hand became transparent. Soon he fell into slumber, shutting his eyes when the last words of the king echoed in his mind.

"But I don't think my father was done with you." Shun imagined Hades smiling, his blue eyes lighting up in glee. "I know I'm not."

Unknown to Shun, his journey had begun.


End file.
